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One Day in Cardiff, Wales: 24 Hours in Cardiff Itinerary

ByPaige Watts

Short on time but still want to experience the best of Cardiff? One day in Cardiff is just enough to see the highlights without feeling rushed.

We only had a short amount of time in Cardiff, so we focused on the city’s highlights — Cardiff Castle, the National Museum, and exploring local restaurants and shops. Whether you’re visiting on a quick day trip or staying overnight, this one-day Cardiff itinerary makes the most of your time.

If you’re planning a laid-back 24 hours in Cardiff, here are the best things to see and do to experience the city’s history, culture, and charm in just one day.

A wide grassy lawn leads to the small stone castle keep of Cardiff Castle perched on a steep, green mound, with a flag flying from the top. A winding gravel path curves through the foreground, while visitors gather near low stone walls and ruins around the castle under an overcast sky.

One Day in Cardiff Itinerary

1. Visit Cardiff Castle

Cardiff Castle, a stone medieval castle with a round keep sits atop a grassy mound, a flag flying from the top. A narrow stone stairway leads up the hill, with a low stone wall and rocky path in the foreground and open green lawns on either side under a cloudy sky.

The main thing I wanted to see in Cardiff was Cardiff Castle, my first Welsh castle. A ticket to the castle gets you an audio guide, access to the castle grounds, castle apartments, Norman keep, wartime tunnels, and the interpretation center — pretty comprehensive!

The castle apartments are ornately decorated, designed by William Burges for the 3rd Marquess of Bute. During the castle renovations, the Butes uncovered some of the original stonework from the castle’s Roman period, which you can see lining the bottom of the castle walls.

In the middle of the castle grounds sits the Norman keep on a motte (hill) surrounded by a moat. About 50 steep steps take you up to the Norman keep, and from there it’s even more steps to the top of the keep where you get panoramic views of Cardiff.

In the wartime tunnels, muffled sounds of an air raid play overhead. You can walk parts of the eight sections of air raid shelters dug into the castle walls during World War II, which would have held up to 1,800 people.

We spent a little less than 2 hours at Cardiff Castle, though I would have been happy to just sit in the castle grounds and admire the keep all day long.

2. Eat Lunch at Pillars

Two cafeteria-style plates on a tray from Pillars Restaurant & Coffee Shop in Cardiff, Wales, each with chips (fries), green peas, and a breaded main covered in gravy or tomato sauce. A hand reaches in to grab a chip from the right plate, with forks resting on both plates.

For lunch, we ate at Pillars Restaurant & Coffee Shop, a budget-friendly cafeteria-style restaurant that serves classic British foods.

Kevin had the Steak & Kidney Pie and I had the Lasagna, and both were really good.

29 Queen St, Cardiff CF10 2AH, UK

3. Visit the National Museum Cardiff

Three framed Impressionist paintings by Monet hang side by side on a pale blue gallery wall, each depicting water lilies floating on a pond. The paintings are evenly spaced with small wall labels beside them, above a wooden baseboard and parquet wood floor in a quiet museum gallery at the National Museum Cardiff in Wales.

After lunch, we visited the National Museum Cardiff, Cardiff’s art and history museum.

The art galleries have some of the best pieces of Impressionist art, which is my favorite, and influential Welsh works, as well as collections of notable paintings, drawings, sculptures, and ceramics.

The natural history galleries take you through the evolution of Wales, including Welsh dinosaurs, and through the mountains, volcanoes, and sea to show you the landscape of Wales today.

National Museum Cardiff is free to visit. We spent a little over an hour here.

4. Walk The Hayes

The Hayes in Cardiff, Wales, a wide pedestrian shopping street with modern buildings on the left and ornate historic buildings on the right. People sit on curved benches around young trees and stroll along the paved walkway, with shopfronts and cafes lining both sides.
The Hayes in Cardiff by Steve Daniels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Hayes is Cardiff’s mostly-pedestrianized shopping thoroughfare.

Lined with luxury shops and restaurants, the Hayes runs from St Johns Church, near the castle, to Cardiff Central Library.

Two Victorian shopping arcades (narrow covered passageways that house specialty shops) have entrances off the Hayes.

5. Eat Dinner at The Owain Glyndwr

Paige sits at a wooden table in the cozy The Owain Glyndwr pub in Cardiff, Wales, holding a clear glass of a bright red cider up to her mouth. She wears a black-and-white plaid shirt, with framed artwork and warm hanging lights behind her, while other patrons move through the softly lit background.

After going to see Cardiff Castle and National Museum Cardiff and walking around the Hayes, we went for dinner at The Owain Glyndwr.

This craft beer pub is named for the Welsh ruler and last native Welshman to hold the title of Prince of Wales, who led a revolt against the English rule of Wales (also what I named my Welsh teddy bear souvenir).

Kevin had the Wagyu Beef Burger and I had the Beef & Double Gloucester Pie, and I had to fight the hard crust on my pie a little, but both meals were really delicious.

10 St John St, Cardiff CF10 1GL, UK

24 Hours in Cardiff Map

Ready to spend a fantastic day in Cardiff? Use the map below to plan out your quick trip.

I hope this guide helps you plan the perfect 24 hours in Cardiff, Wales!

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Top Cardiff Tours

Where to Stay in Cardiff

Hilton Cardiff

We stayed at the Hilton Cardiff because it was centrally located right across the street from Cardiff Castle and right in between the castle and National Museum Cardiff.

The room was spacious and comfortable with a king sized bed and a large tub for a relaxing night reading in a bubble bath.

Kingsway, Greyfriars Rd, Cardiff CF10 3HH, UK

More UK Travel Guides

Ready to visit Cardiff, Wales? Plan your trip with these tips.

  • Book your flight: Find the cheapest flights using Skyscanner, my favorite flight search engine.
  • Find accommodation: You can find top hotels in Cardiff using Booking.com.
  • Get packing: Make sure you’ve packed everything you need with my packing list resources.

Cheers!

Paige

One Day in Cardiff, Wales: 24 Hours in Cardiff Itinerary

Did you find this one day in Cardiff itinerary helpful? Let me know in the comments!

Paige Watts is a travel expert and author of What's With Atlanta?, a guide to the quirks and charm of the ATL. A life-long traveler, Paige is dedicated to helping you discover the best things to do in the Southern USA and around the world. Her work has been featured in The Culture Trip, Matador, Newsbreak, MSN, NPR, and countless other interviews and podcasts.

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2 Comments

  1. Great Post!!! I truly believe that there is much more to explore new places. The world has incredible beauty which makes us visit new places for sure.

    Reply

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